During the course of the evening, while everyone was networking and socializing, an older gentleman approached her and asked if she would like to come to Saskatchewan and paint his barn. He would pay her expenses, give her accommodations while she was there, and the price he offered made it worth her while to spend a week in the prairies. The young artist was really excited to receive a commission, on her first gallery showing no less, and agreed on a date for the trip. From her discreet inquiries that evening several people assured her that this gentleman ran a large and very profitable farm operation. He was proud of it no doubt. Being impressed by her beautiful paintings he was likely inspired to commission a painting of his property. It would probably become a family heirloom. She made travel arrangements, packed all her art supplies, and headed to the land of golden wheat fields and picturesque farmlands.

It was a long drive out west and the farm was far from any city or even town. As she drove up the rambling driveway leading to a stunning mansion she was convinced no one had accurately described to her what an awesome property this was. Excited and eager she rang the doorbell. Warmly greeted by her new client she was showed to her room. He insisted that she take her time to have a nice shower and freshen up before dinner was served. During the meal they chatted about all sorts of things and she found him to be a charming and interesting fellow. After dinner he provided a tour of the mansion as well as a long drive around the many acres of property, while he highlighted various landmarks with delightful stories from years gone by. Upon their return later in the evening he announced that she should pack it in for the night so she could get an early start the next day. That was when he took her to the garage to show her where to find the buckets of red paint, brushes, and ladders, that she would need to “paint the barn”.

She was stunned. Although embarrassed, she never let on her misunderstanding that she had accepted a commission to literally paint a barn. She swallowed her pride and for the next several days did her best to paint a huge barn. How many times have you taken for granted that your communication was being accurately interpreted? Did you ask all the questions? Clarify the facts? Do you have an agreement? If not, you may wind up learning a lesson like this one along the way.